Probe and spout with lock assembly



Oct. 29, 1963 H. v. KINDSETH 3,108,717

PROBE AND SPOUT WITH LOCK ASSEMBLY Filed April 28, 1960 ll 20 g 19 IG.4 \A/vvvm IN V EN TOR. fiflROLD M/fnvossm A-r-raRNE Y;

United States Patent 3,108,717 PROBE AND SPOUT WITH LOCK ASSEMBLY Harold V. Kindseth, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to Bemis Bro. Bag Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Missouri Filed Apr. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 25,283 3 Claims. (Cl. 22289) This invention relates to a spout for dispensing liquids such as water, milk, acids and other liquids from all kinds of containers having semi-rigid fibre board walls and including a flexible synthetic resinous plastic film or sheet liner. The spout includes an integral probe for insertion in the container.

In recent years, rapid advances have been made in the provision of fibre board containers for the bulk shipment of liquids. These containers are usually formed from stiff paperboard or cardboard material, such as corrugated paper sheet material and the like, and usually are provided with a liner in the form of a plastic bag of synthetic resinous sheet material having dimensions conforming generally to the inside dimensions of the fibre board shell. These containers have proved to be advantageous for the packing and shipment of many liquids due to the lower initial cost, lower shipping rates due to the lighter weight of the fibre board containers, and due to the fact that such containers are disposable and need not be returned for refilling. In many instances, however, dispensing of the liquid from the container after it has reached its destination has proved to be a problem. It it to the solution of that problem that the present invention is directed.

Although a variety of pouring spouts have heretofore been proposed for drawing of liquids from the fibre board cartons, none of these has proved to be completely satisfactory. Specifically none of the prior art pouring spouts have been provided with the novel means of the present invention for firmly fastening the dispensing spout to the fibre board container.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a probe and lock-in dispensing spout for liquid containers having semi-rigid fibre board walls and flexible synthetic resinous film liners.

A further object of this invention is to provide a probe and dispensing spout having a plurality of helical prongs adapted to bite into and grasp the fibre board walls of liquid container and twisting means for setting the prongs in place.

Other. objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated by the drawings in which the same numerals refer to corresponding parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the probe and lock-in dispensing spout according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation showing in plan view the locking plate of the probe and dispensing spout;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the probe and dispensing spout showing further details of the locking means; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of a fibre board container for liquids showing a slightly modified form of the dispensing spout of the present invention, in

which the probe is broken away to show the tube and piercing means are integrally formed, and is shown locked in place in the fibre board wall of the container.

Referring to the drawings, the probe and dispensing spout of the present invention, indicated generally at 10, includes a hollow tube 11 having tapered piercing means 12 at one end. The piercing means 12 is for the purpose of forcing an opening through the fibre board walls and liner of the liquid container. For this reason it is preferably provided with a sharp tip 13 which is pointed for easier penetration of the container wall. Pointed tip 13 may be of the same material as the remainder of the piercing means or in some instances it may be desirable that the tip be formed of harder and more wear-resistant material. In the form illustrated, the piercing means is provided with a cylindrical plug member 14 adapted to be inserted and securely held in one end of tube 11. An annular shoulder 15 at the base of the piercing means 12 surrounding the plug member 14 butts against the end of the tube 11. The piercing means may be held in the end of the tube by suitable adhesive, or fastening means, or a tight frictional fit, or in some instances the tube and piercing means may be integrally formed, as shown in FIGURE 4, as by injection molding or the like. Tube 11 is provided with one or more liquid inlet openings 16 adjacent the end fitted with the piercing means. The opposite end of the tube is open, providing a dispensing opening.

Locking means are provided to secure the dispensing spout tightly in the liquid container. The locking means includes a flat plate 18, formed from metal or the like, encircling the tube 11 and disposed perpendicular to the axis of the tube. The plate 18 is cut away to provide at least two pointed elongated arcuate portions generally concentric with tube 11 and displaced out of the plane of the plate in the direction of the piercing means 12 to form helical prongs 19. The prongs 19 are displaced out of the plane of plate 18 by a distance slightly less than the thickness of the fibre board wall of the liquid container with which the spout is to be used. The prongs 19 should not be so long, and the pointed tip at the free end must not be displaced so far from the plane of the a plate 18, as to permit the prongs to penetrate or tear the plastic liner in the container.

The prongs are embedded in the fibre board wall of the liquid container by applying pressure on the plate 18 to force the tips of the prongs to penetrate the outer surface of the fibre board and then twisting to cause the prongs to penetrate more deeply into the fibre board wall by a screw action. The plate is rotated about the axis of the tube 11. The prongs 19 are preferably so formed that, in accordance with the usual custom, a locking action is obtained by rotation in a clockwise direction and the prongs may be removed by rotating in a counter-' clockwise direction. It will be apparent that all of the prongs must extend with their points in the same direction in an arcuate path surrounding the tube 11.

To facilitate application of pressure and twisting of the prongs to lock the dispensing spout in place in a liquid container, means are provided for the application of twisting pressure by the thumb and fingers. In the illustrated embodiment the twisting means comprise a pair of thumb and finger tabs 20 which project from the plane of the plate 18 on the side of the plate opposite from the prongs 19. Tabs 20 are preferably stamped from plate 18 and bent upwardly along a fold line which passes approximately through the axis of tube 11. The tabs 20 are preferaby stamped from plate 18 so as to be bent upwardly from opposite sides of the fold line.

Where the thumb tabs are part of the locking plate to the tube. However, when the locking plate is free to move with respect to the tube, fastening means or equivalent means must be provided to prevent the dispensing spout from slipping axially out past the locking plate when the prongs of the plate are engaged in the wall of a carton. A preferred form of means for preventing accidental removal of the spout as illustrated, is an annular ring 21 provided on its inner periphery with a plurality of displaced teeth 22 adapted to frictionally engage and bite into the outer wall of the tube 11. The fastening ring is disposed between the locldng plate and the inlet openings 16.

Tube 11 should be rigid or substantially so. It may be formed from glass, metal, synthetic resinous tubing and the like. The preferred material is polymethylmethacrylate tubing. The piercing means may be formed from the same material as the tube or from different material. When the tube is formed from polymethylmethacrylate tubing the piercing means is preferably shaped from the same material. The locking plate 18 is desirably stamped from sheet metal such as 20 gauge sheet steel or equivalent material. The fastening ring 21 is also preferably formed by stamping from sheet metal although other equivalent fastening means may be used.

As shown in FIGURE 4 the liquid containers of the type with which the dispensing spout of the present invention is adapted to be used include an outer shell 23 formed from corrugated paper board or like fibre board material. The outer shell is provided with an inner liner 24 formed from synthetic resinous sheet material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, the tough polyester film sold under the trademark Mylar, and like sheet material. The choice of liner material is to some extent dependent upon the nature of the liquid to be packaged. The use of the present dispensing spout is independent of the particular fibre board or plastic sheet materials of which the liquid container is made.

The spout is inserted by initially driving the pointed tip 13 into and through the fibre board wall of the container and through the plastic liner into the liquid 25. The opening initially formed by the sharp point 13 is enlarged by the tapered surfaces of the piercing means 12 to receive the outer surfaces of the tube 11 with a tight frictional fit. The tube is pushed into the liquid until the tips of the prongs 19 bear against the outer surface of fibre board wall. Then pressure is exerted against the locking plate 18 to force the prong tips through the outer surface of the fibre board wall and, while simultaneously applying pressure to the locking plate, the plate is twisted or rotated by means of thumb and finger bearing against projecting tabs or flanges 20 to screw the prongs deeper into the fibre board wall.

The dispensing spout may be inserted into the container by laying the liquid container on its side and inserting the spout vertically into the uppermost sidewall so that there is no gravity flow of liquid when the liner wall is penetrated. Then, when the container is uprighted, the liquid 25 will flow through the openings 16 and out through the tube.

For direct dispensing from a plastic lined carton, as of milk from a lunch counter or the like, the open end of the proble is desirably threaded to receive a molded plastie faucet threaded to fit into the probe. The pierced resinous lining is stretched tightly enough around the probe to seal the carton against leakage of the packaged liquid.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A probe and lock-in dispensing spout for liquid containers having semi-rigid fibreboard walls and flexible synthetic resinous film liners, said spout comprising a rigid hollow tube, a solid tapered point piercing means at one end of said tube closing that end of said tube, at least one inlet opening to said tube adjacent said piercing means, a dispensing outlet from said tube adjacent the opposite end, locking means intermediate of the ends of said tube between said inlet opening and dispensing outlet for holding said tube in place in the wall of a container, said locking means being rotatable about said tube and including a metallic plate encircling said tube, at least two helical prongs integral with said plate disposed concentrically about the axis of said tube, said prongs extending in the same arcuate direction and displaced from the plane of the plate in the direction of the piercing means by a distance less than the thickness of the container wall, thumb and finger tuu'st means associated with the prongs to force the prongs into the fibreboard container walls and to twist the prongs into locking position, said twist means including a pair of projecting tabs positioned on diametrically opposite sides of said tube, said tabs being formed integral with said metallic plate and extending from the plate in the direction opposite from said piercing means, and ring fastener means frictionally engaging the outer surface of the hollow tube between the inlet opening and locking means plate to prevent axial movement of said locking means toward said inlet open- 2. A probe and spout according to claim 1 further characterized in that said hollow tube is formed from a rigid synthetic resinous material.

3. A probe and spout according to claim 2 further characterized in that said tube and said piercing means are integrally formed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 499,592 Reinheimer June 13, 1893 1,457,592 Murray June 5, 1923 1,576,388 Whitesides Mar. 3, 1925 1,610,484 Boggero et al Dec. 14, 1926 1,639,251 Arthur Aug. 16, 1927 1,662,043 Owen Mar. 6, 1928 1,747,957 Silveus Feb. 18, 1930 1,995,698 Healy Mar. 19, 1935 2,317,755 Gouch et al Apr. 27, 1943 2,845,201 Henry luly 19, 1958 2,862,413 Knohl Dec. 2, 1958 2,881,952 Dungey Apr. 14, 1959 2,925,199 Brookshier Feb. 16, 1960 

1. A PROBE AND LOCK-IN DISPENSING SPOUT FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS HAVING SEMI-RIGID FIBREBOARD WALLS AND FLEXIBLE SYNTHETIC RESINOUS FILM LINERS, SAID SPOUT COMPRISING A RIGID HOLLOW TUBE, A SOLID TAPERED POINT PIERCING MEANS AT ONE END OF SAID TUBE CLOSING THAT END OF SAID TUBE, AT LEAST ONE INLET OPENING TO SAID TUBE ADJACENT SAID PIERCING MEANS, A DISPENSING OUTLET FROM SAID TUBE ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END, LOCKING MEANS INTERMEDIATE OF THE ENDS OF SAID TUBE BETWEEN SAID INLET OPENING AND DISPENSING OUTLET FOR HOLDING SAID TUBE IN PLACE IN THE WALL OF A CONTAINER, SAID LOCKING MEANS BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT SAID TUBE AND INCLUDING A METALLIC PLATE ENCIRCLING SAID TUBE, AT LEAST TWO HELICAL PRONGS INTEGRAL WITH SAID PLATE DISPOSED CONCENTRICALLY ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE, SAID PRONGS EXTENDING IN THE PLATE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PIERCING THE PLANE OF THE PLATE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PIERCING MEANS BY A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE CONTAINER WALL, THUMB AND FINGER TWIST MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRONGS TO FORCE THE PRONGS INTO THE FIBREBOARD CONTAINER WALLS AND TO TWIST THE PRONGS INTO LOCKING POSITION, SAID TWIST MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF PROJECTING TABS POSITIONED ON DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID TUBE, SAID TABS BEING FORMED INTEGRAL WITH SAID METALLIC PLATE AND EXTENDING FROM THE PLATE IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE FROM SAID PIERCING MEANS, AND RING FASTENER MEANS FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE HOLLOW TUBE BETWEEN THE INLET OPENING AND LOCKING MEANS PLATE TO PREVENT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LOCKING MEANS TOWARD SAID INLET OPENING. 